1 Reply Latest reply on May 6, 2020 1:24 PM by Jason Atkinson

    Seeking records of 5th Field Artillery Sound Range Platoon

    Aisling Finnegan Newbie
    Aisling Finnegan May 3, 2020 12:18 PM

      Over the last few years, we have uncovered the diary and a few photos of my grandfather who was a Geodetic Computer in the CBI Theatre. Unfortunately, many of his records were destroyed in the fire of 1973, and he did not mention what unit he was in. All we know is that he was apart of an artillery unit that spent time in / at : Camp Angus, Camp Kanchrabara, Yunan Provence and Northern Burma. He refers to the unit as the 5th Field Artillery Sound Range Platoon, and having worked with Artillery Soldiers from Fort Sill, Oklahoma but that is all we have on his unit. Not sure what division or army they were apart of but he mentions having to salute a General Stillwall a few times. Any help would be great ! My dad and the rest of his siblings don’t have much to go on and we would really love the help. We are also trying to find the names of people within the photo below

      - my grandfather is at the far right and the only one you can see his whole body standing.

      CBI Theatre Photo

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        • Re: Seeking records of 5th Field Artillery Sound Range Platoon
          Jason Atkinson Ranger
          Jason Atkinson Expert May 6, 2020 1:24 PM (in response to Aisling Finnegan)

          Dear Ms. Finnegan,

           

          Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

           

          We searched the National Archives Catalog and located World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-1981 (Record Group 407) that may contain unit records of the 5th Field Artillery Sound-Ranging Platoon. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

           

          Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

           

          We searched online and located DTIC ADA112018: A Checklist of Artillery Organizational Histories; A Compilation that lists a history of the 5th Field Artillery Sound-Ranging Platoon in the custody of the Morris Swett Library, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

           

          We also located “The Field Artillery Journal” November - December 1948 edition, which has an article entitled “The Field Artillery Observation Battalion” (starting on page 252) which references the formation of separate, numbered sound ranging platoons on page 253. It refers to the deployment of the First through Fourth Sound-Ranging Platoons in the Pacific Theater. The article also gives an overview of the practice of field artillery range sounding.

           

          In addition, we located http://www.cbi-history.com/part_xi.html and http://www.cbi-theater.com/ramgarh/ramgarh.html that reference the 5th Field Artillery Sound-Ranging Platoon in the Chinese-Burma-India Theater, and an obituary of Vic Tamashunas, which briefly describes his time in the 5th Field Artillery Sound-Ranging Platoon.

           

          Finally, we located Technical Manual 12-427-- Military Occupational Classification of Enlisted Personnel, published by the War Department on 12 July 1944. Pages 48 through 49 describe the roles of a Geodetic Computer.

           

          We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!